Want to serve your country? Want to be a superhero?

Get a degree in accounting.

I realize that no one envisions a superhero in a cape with a calculator and a shovel, but I think we’re going to need a whole passel of gimlet-eyed, grey-faced number crunchers and bean counters with eye-shades before any of these investigations are over.

Exhibit A: Dick Cheney’s connection with the private companies running the Texas Prisons – An Update:

“Willacy County District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra spoke to two Texas television stations Wednesday night regarding his investigation of injustice within the prison systems which led to the indictment by a Texas grand jury of Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, along with other officials.

Cheney’s [$85 million] stake in the Vanguard Group, which holds interests in the private prison companies that run the detention centers, was cited in the indictment. Cheney is accused of a conflict of interest and "at least misdemeanor assaults" on detainees through his ownership interest.”

Follow Cheney’s Money

Vanguard Group is a huge investment company that has interests in companies that contract with the Federal Government to operate prisons and detention centers. The Vanguard Group, just to clarify, is the huge, “fund of mutual funds” headquartered in Valley Forge, PA, established in 1975, with approximately $1.3 trillion in US mutual fund assets as of 12/07.

So, if you have any 401K or other pension or other personal investments with an entity with a masted ship in its logo, and known as Vanguard, then you, TOO are (depending on which fund you are invested IN) possibly invested in these private prison companies. The difference is that you are not the Vice President of the United States and cannot possibly enrich yourself through which might be considered a conflict of interest or the appearance of involvement.

“Guerra says he went through Cheney’s financial records and the prison companies’ financial records and found the connection. The three top prison companies Guerra researched were Corrections Corporation of America, GEO Group and Cornell. Those three have the Vanguard Group in common, which is an investment company that puts money into all three prison companies."

Guerra showed [the tv station reporters] the Vice President’s financial disclosure from last year and it shows he owned shares in the Vanguard Group. Guerra estimates Cheney has $85 million invested in Vanguard and in turn, into the prison companies.”

Guerra is not a popular prosecutor in his county – he’s at the end of his term and this indictment is considered to be a nuisance case. In the meantime, however, Guerra is making a lot of noise about the case against Gonzalez and Cheney and is getting a lot of coverage for it. At the same time, though, it is just another example of how useful skills in ‘following the money’ may become over the next few years, depending on what direction the new Administration would like to go in terms of investigating members and former members of the current administration.

And remember: Assets, Liabilities and Equity go on the Balance Sheet; Revenue and Expenses go on the Income Statement.